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Space Camp: Not Just For Kids Any More
The L.A. Times features a description of what space camp is like, not for for its traditional demographic of teens and pre-teens interested in science (and possibly thinking of careers in space), but for adults. The Huntsville program where writer Jane Engle spent three days playing astronaut gives adults a chance to experience simulated low gravity and fighter jet simulation. "We also spent hours inside mock-ups of a space shuttle cockpit, NASA mission control and the International Space Station, the settings for simulated shuttle missions that formed the core of our training. Working in teams, we took turns crewing the space shuttle orbiter, monitoring the mission, conducting research experiments and doing extravehicular activities, a.k.a. spacewalks, to make repairs." The price strikes me as surprisingly reasonable, too: about $550.
It seems to me, from far away, that in reality the US is going farther and farther away from space exploration and research in general, so I am not sure if these efforts are "placeholders" and "proxy actions" by people so that they don't have to see the painful reality as much. Which doesn't make it bad of course! Just saying it also serves a psychological purpose for those creating such programs. We just had headlines about a NASA conference that excludes Chinese scientists (incl. those already doing research at US universities). Then there's the government shutdown, and the big political and economic problems - basically ZERO change after the last financial crisis, same people, same actions. From where I am (not in the US but reading as much as I can - used to live there for many years) most people couldn't care less about space, and it only gets worse.
I want to see a NASA space camp run in actual space...like at the ISS.
First of all, we should be mining the moon/asteroids and walking on Mars right now (and working towards Jupiter's moons)...basically right now...
I know that's not the case, but we won't ever get there unless we start education programs that make spacefaring a common activity.
I love NASA. If they could get non-political, operational leadership and budget NASA could put this together.
Every gov't agency has training courses and such. FBI has Quantico, etc...NASA has this too it's just not well known.
I say **build it out**....build out NASA's education program to provide challenges worthy of college and graduate-level students...make a pipeline to being the next 'Buzz Aldrin' without having to be in the military.
And make part of the course a short visit to the ISS.
Of course grad students would be going up to do research projects...
It can happen...really this can start tomorrow...it really is just a matter of paperwork!
We could do it...
Thank you Dave Raggett
No, it's not new.
When I was in highschool, 20 yeaars ago, I went to both Space Acadamy and Space Acadamy II. During the week I was there for SA-II, there were 2 groups of adults, one in SA, the other in SA-II. Their programs were completely seperate from ours, but we did get to talk with some of them. The adult versions of the programs were a lot more "hands on" then the highschool versions. We did a lot of science projects while the adults more than twice as many simulations. And we "kids" were awarded "credits", in "general science", from the local university. But, I would have happily traded those credits for the extra sim time.
Don't try to out wierd me, three-eyes. I get stranger things than you, free with my breakfast cereal. --Zaphod Beeblebr
I went when you could actually FLY, from Huntsville to Macon. It counts towards your pilot license as well.
All you get now is simulated crap.
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
yeah,
you know that we decide what the government spends its money on, right?
there are people, real actual humans, who actually decide what projects to fund and not...
you agree with me, and are proving me right...my point is that the money is there, but we can't use it for productive things b/c of one rump party suiciding itself administratively
Thank you Dave Raggett